Last Time on "This is my Battle"

"Aoshi-sama I have brought you tea." She said quietly, but still kept her happy tone. He nodded his head in thanks to her as he heard her approach him and set the tray down. He breathed in the soft air but what he smelled scared and confused him…

Blood.

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"Misao, are you hurt?" he asked her, smelling the blood that leaked off of her. 'But where is it? She seems uninjured.' He mused

"I'm not injured at all, why do you ask?" she lifted her head and asked him, sitting down behind the tea tray.

"I… you smell of blood." He spoke softly. He was worried about her. But he knew it was too late, he had saw her with that man, Juro. He could still worry, but not the way he wanted.

"oh." She blushed faintly, "I know what you speak of. Don't worry." She blushed again when she finished her sentence.

"Do tell." He spoke taking a tea cup from the tray and sipped it slowly and set it down again to listen to her words.

"Okay but you can't tell anyone." He nodded and she spoke again, "well me and Juro… you know… took the next step in our relationship. During that step… well I was a virgin, blood was to be expected." She said gleefully… and he had lost control

"You are merely fifteen!" he shouted and his forwardness surprised her, along with the tone of his voice. But she wasn't one to back down.

"I know my age very well Aoshi-sama. We are in love. I think he wants to propose… I know I am young but please understand that I love him." She explained in such a rush it was hard for him to understand her words, but he did.

"He is using you!" he yelled in his and her defense. She was young and unmarried. Juro was aging fast and had gone behind Misao's back and made love with other women. She knew and she forgave him. 'Misao…' he whispered her name worryingly in his mind

"He isn't cheating on me anymore! He stopped that… he had to of stopped. We made love last night Aoshi-sama." This argument was sickening to him and he left. He had stood off the temple floor and left. She was supposed to wait for him, now if the family had found out she would be looked on as a whore. If not by her family then by her future husband (which wouldn't be Juro… at least over Aoshi's dead body.)

"This conversation is over." He said firmly as he passed her. Tears welded up in her eyes.

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Misao walked to Juro's motel where he was staying and knocked on the door. She looked down and saw suitcases on the floor filled with his belongings. 'No… he wouldn't leave me.' she mused

"Misao… I see you have arrived." He said entering the room where she was.

"What's with the bags Juro?" she asked him, getting straight to the point. She was suspicious and he knew it.

"This was temporary Misao, it was a business trip. I… have to get home." he told her and her restraint broke.

"NO! You can't leave me Juro! We made love last night! You told me you loved me." Misao shouted at her boyfriend… no… ex boyfriend.

"I have another Misao, I never loved you. I need to… I need to get back to my wife." He told her and she almost fainted.

"Your WIFE? You have got to be kidding me Juro! I love you!" she shouted, "or at least I did…" she whispered. He frowned but her pain wasn't his problem. He was on a business trip and while away he had 'the need' and unfortunately he found her.

"You are nothing more than a gullible whore Misao." He shouted and she had lost it.

"You are nothing more than a bloody bastard!" she screamed back and punched him across his face. She wasn't defenseless; she would at least to defend what was left of her honor. He backed away a bit from the impact of the punch but he quickly regained his posture and hit her back, making her fall to the floor.

"Learn your place woman!" he shouted and kicked the back of her head. She growled and he only grew more frustrated with her. Dragging her up by her hair he punched her again, slightly bruising the skin around her eye.

"You piece of filth! Burn in hell." She spat out at him. He couldn't tame her, nobody could.

He hit her again to where she couldn't see straight. She fell to the floor when he released her hair that he had fisted in his grasp. She rolled over a bit trying to move away but his foot came into contact with her back. 'Damn.' She thought to herself before passing out.

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Misao woke up a few hours later in pain. She lifted her hand and winced when she touched a bruise around her eye. Her surroundings were obvious; she was in the forest opening, right before it opened out revealing the Aoiya. She sighed, wondering if the others were even up.

'How could I have degraded myself like that? I… am I a whore?' she asked herself. She was confused. She did have sex with him only after three months of knowing him. But she thought she was in love… didn't she?

Misao stood up off the ground with a hard push, trying to keep her balance. She knew the others would notice her wounds and she just decided to say she had a run in with the Kyoto police. They were after all ruthless. But then again the Oniwaban were not dense. They would soon figure out that Juro had done that to her, and they would hunt him down. She didn't want a war started… she just wanted to sleep.

She trudged slowly out of the forest and surprisingly she fell once more, but was caught.

"Aoshi-sama? Sorry I am back so late." She said as he helped her to her feet once more. It was dark, so he didn't have a good look at her but still saw the faint outlines of what was on her face.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded, softly brushing one of his large hands against a bruised cheek. She backed up a little and frowned. She wasn't scared of Aoshi, she never would be. But she was scared of what he would think of her… how she started an argument and it ended up that he was right and she was foolish.

"Nobody Aoshi-sama. I just want to sleep okay?" she practically begged him. He refused to let her go without knowing what was wrong.

"I will kill him." He voiced firmly. Aoshi was angry and all he could see was red until he felt her embrace

"Please don't go. I just want you here. I know I was foolish and I know that I made many mistakes in my life but please, just… just hold me."

And he did.

TBC! TBC!TBC! TBC!TBC! TBC!TBC! TBC!TBC! TBC!

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